W&m Prof Gains Recognition

Research Suggests Boom Aids 'Most Disadvantaged'

June 02, 1999|By MATHEW PAUST Daily Press

WILLIAMSBURG — Research by a College of William and Mary professor has turned up some good news for young black men without much education and few job skills: The economic boom of the 1990s has benefited them perhaps more than any other time in recent history.

More of these men - "who are the most disadvantaged and socially troubled group in the U.S." - are getting jobs and earning more pay than ever before, according to the findings of William M. Rodgers III and Harvard's Richard B. Freeman.

Their findings, which have been published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, were featured in a New York Times front-page story May 23.

The study looked at men, aged 16 to 24 with a high school education or less, many with prison records, in 322 U.S. metropolitan areas.

"These men are viewed as the most sensitive to changes in the economy," said Rodgers, an associate professor of economics who is also a member of the Williamsburg-James City County School Board. He explained that men in this group are so vulnerable because they lack marketable skills and, as African Americans, they also face discrimination in hiring.

"What our findings show is that these young men are finally entering the fold," he said.

Rodgers attributes this new trend to an expanding economy that spawns new jobs in such areas as construction, retail sales, the trades and services. While the boom also has benefited young white men with the same educational and skill limitations, the turnaround for blacks is more dramatic. It might mean that some of the traditional racial discrimination is being washed away in the general good times.

"There's an adage we like to use, 'Rising tides lift all boats,' " he said.

In their paper, Rodgers and Freeman say the current economic boom, which started in March 1991, "has made the American job market the envy of the world. The proportion of the adult population that is employed has increased to the highest level in history."

Rodgers noted that 146 of the metropolitan areas studied had unemployment rates below 4 percent in 1998, while only 19 areas had jobless rates that low six years earlier. The unemployment rate in the Hampton Roads area was 3.77 percent, down from 6.32 percent in 1992.

Rodgers smiles broadly when asked for a prognosis on the economy's health and gives an answer of hope:

"The longer we can sustain this growth, the greater the likelihood that these men can be successful."

- Mathew Paust can be reached at 229-2854 or by e-mail at mpaust@dailypress.com